Drop-handle.



No. 814,735. PATENTED- MAR. 13, 1906. G. A. SGHEHR.

DROP HANDLE.

APPLIOATION FILED 00'1. 2,1905.

.E ML 1755555.

" certain part is formed-to-wit, the bracket PATENT OFFICE.

UNITED STATES Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 13, 1906.

Application filed October 2, 1905. Serial No. 280,879.

T0 (ZZZ whom, it .may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. SoHEHR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oincinnati, Hamilton county, State of Ohio, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Drop-Handles; and I do declarethe following to be a clear, full, and exact description thereof,attention being called to the accompanying drawings, with the referencecharacters marked thereon, which form also a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in drop-handles, moreparticularly such which are used in connection with caskets and coffins.Since their use in such connection is only a temporary one, the time ofactual service being comparatively short, it has been the aim toconstruct such handles as cheap as possible without sacrificing,however,

wherever avoidable, the desirable substantial 4 appearance and strength.

The general object of the invention is to construct such a handle in asimple and inexpensive method and with a limited use of metal, withoutimpairing, however, the necessary strength and stability required forthe purpose, while maintaining at the same time the desirablesubstantial appearance.

The invention consists, therefore, of a handle constructed so as tosatisfy these conditions, and such construction, together with itsvarious parts, is hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows such a handle ofusual style as it appears when in its normal position on the side of thecofiin, parts being broken away. Fig. 2 shows part of a similar viewwith certain parts of the handle removed. Fig. 3 is a sectional sideview of certain parts and taken on a line indicated at 3 3 in Fig. 1,the position of the handle being, however, an operative one-that is, onein which it ap ears when used for carrying the particular 0 ject towhich it is attached. Fig. 4 is part of a similar figure, the sectionbeing taken in a plane parallel to the one of the preceding figure, butto one side thereof, the section-line being indicated at 4 4 of Fig. 2.Fig. 5 shows in side view one of the structural parts used in theconstruction. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on line-6 6 of Fig. 1,showing also parts below. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on line 7 7 ofFig. 1, showing also parts below. Fig. 8 shows the blank out of which awhich supports the arms of the handle on the cofi in. Fig. 9 shows theblank out of which a certain other part is formed-to-wit, the ornamentalshell of the arm which connects the handle to the above-mentionedbracket.

In the drawings, A indicates the handle proper, supported at or neareach one of its ends by swinging arms B, the other ends of which armsare pivoted to brackets G, which are attached to the particular objectson which the handle is used, which in this case is presumed to be acoflin. These brackets are usually covered by ornamental baseplates orescutcheons O C, which ordinarily have no further functions except tohide structural parts and are therefore of light metal. My presentinvention consists of cer tain details of construction of theabove-mentioned members, and more particularly of the swinging arms B Band of the brackets on which they are supported and whereby they areattached in position. The larger part of these arms consists of a convexhollow shell D, of sheet metal suihciently thin to permit stamping andpressing to shape and also the impression of ornamentations, theyserving for ornamental purposes merely and to produce, by reason oftheir bulky appearance, the desired substantial aspect of massiveness.The principal structural parts of these arms are the skeleton-links E E,of metal of athickness sufficient to stand the required strain, butpermitting formation by stamping. At one end they are provided with asemicircular recess 6, which receives part of the handle A, and at theother end they have a small opening e, which receives the pivot-pin F,whereby they are pivotally supported between two lugs g g, which formparts of bracket G, attached to the side of the cofin and from whichthey laterally project. The handle is held in place by twisting theperforate ends (2 of the links and by inserting a screw or tack, as bestshown in Fig. 3. Brackets G are also shaped out of sheet metal, theirblank being shown in Fig. 8, and from which blank lugs g g are bent upat right angles. For their attachment the flat side or back of thisbracket has two openings g g, which receive attaching-screws H. (Seeparticularly Fig. 4.) Between these openings part of the back is turnedoutwardly and then downwardly, as shown at 9 forming a brace againstwhich the hollow escutcheon O rests, as best shown in Fig. 3, andwhereby possible collapsive strains are resisted. A rivet J may connectthem by passing through both. The metal between lugs g g is also turnedup and forward andv down against the upper edges of these lugs on whichthis metal rests, as best shown at g in Fig. 8. (See also Fig. 6.) Thispart g forms a shoulder against which an upward extension or nose 6 oflink E comes to rest when they are raised up during use of the handle,as shown in Fig. 3. The strain and action on all structural parts areconsiderable at that time, since the weight of the coflin is to besustained, but by having shoulder g resting against the upper edges oflugs g g an equivalent resistance. is presented.

Forward of this shoulder and around pivot pin F these lugs g g approacheach other, as shown at g so as to hold links E in proper position andconfine them against lateral displacement.

Links E E, as well as their pivotal connection to brackets G G and theattachment of handle A to them, are covered by the ornamental shells D,as already mentioned, and a suitable blank for which is approximatelyshown in Fig. 9. After pressed to a convex sha e, as shown in Figs. 6and 7, and curved, as s own in Fig. 3, to fit around and over the linksthey are held to these latter by parts (I d of the blank, which are bentaround and over the inner edge of the link and with their perforatedends inserted over a lug 6 as best shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 7. The lowerends of these shells are extended down straight and ornamented, as shownat (Z.

The upper ends of arms B B work in and out through an opening in thecentral raised ortion c of the escutcheons, and the upper edge of shellsD meets closely the edge of this upturned metal, as shown in Figs. 1 and3, thus hiding completely all structural parts, and articularly the endsof pivot-pin F, thus pro ucing a smooth, nicely-finished, and elegantappearance. A shoulder d on shell D y butting against the edge 0 whenthe handle is raised, as shown in Fig. 3, completely closes theinterstice thereat.

The same screws II which hold brackets G in place serve also to hold theescutcheons, the heads of these screws being used to hold these latter,while a shoulder 72. holds the brackets, the screws having two diametersof varying thicknesses.

The extreme ends of the handles A are covered by ornamental tips orbuttons a, each made of two sectional sheetmetal shells pressedtogether, as shown in Fig. 7, and held by a tack. Some features of thisinvention are of course also applicable to shorter handles requiringonly one link.

It will be noted that all members entering into the construction of thishandle are made of independent sheet-metal parts and no cast metal isused anywhere.

Having described my invention, I claim as new connected to thesebrackets and 1. In a drophandle, the combination of attaching brackets,skeleton links having an opening at one end and a semicircular recess atthe other, pivot-pins occupying these openings for connection to theattaching-brackets, a handle fitted into the recesses, means to hold thehandle in place and a shell to cover each link.

2. In a drop-handle, the combination of attaching-brackets, skeletonlinks pivotally connected to these brackets and having a semicircularrecess at their free ends and an attaching-lug e thereat, a handlefitted into these recesses and held therein by these lugs which aretwisted to receive a tack or screw for connection and a shell to covereach link.

3. In a drop-handle, the combination of attaching-brackets, skeletonlinks ivotally l iaving a semicircular recess at their ends and a lug eprojecting from their inner edge, a handle secured within these recessesand a sheet-metal shell to cover the front edge of these links andhaving lugs 61 (1 adapted to engage lug e as shown and described.

4. In a drop-handle, the combination of attaching brackets, skeletonlinks having semicircular recesses at their free end pivotally connectedthereto, a handle supported between the free ends of these links and inthe recesses thereat and a sheet-metal shell attached to cover theirfront edge and the front half of the handle only at the point where thesame is supported by the links.

5. In a drop-handle, the combination of the handle proper, swinging armsor links which between them support the handle at one of their ends,attaching-brackets having laterally-projecting lugs to which the otherends of these links are pivotally connected and an escutcheon-plate tocover each bracket, said plates being provided with an o ening to permitattachment of the links to t 1e brackets within, that part of theseplates in which this opening is located being raised so as to also coverand hide the pivotal connection between bracket and link.

'6. In a drop-handle, a one-piece sheetmetal attaching-bracket havingthe forwardly-projecting lugs g g, the forwardlybent shoulder g restingupon the upper edges of these lugs, in combination with thehandle-supporting arms supported on them and provided each with a nosewhich is adapted to rgst upon this shoulder when the handle is use 7. Ina drop-handle, a one-piece sheetmetal attaching -bracket having theforwardly-projecting lugs g g, the forwardlybent shoulder g resting uponthe upper edges of these lugs which latter are bent to approach eachother in front of this shoulder, handle-supporting skeleton linkssupported in the narrow space between these lugs and an ornamental shellto cover each link.

8. In a drop-handle, the combination of the handle, the arms supportingit, an attaching-bracket for each arm, to which they are pressed-metaltips at its ends, each formed of two semicircular longitudinally-dividedshells.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence oftwo Witnesses.

GEORGE A. SCHEHR.

Witnesses C. SPENGEL. O. MEYER.

